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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

'Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.' - Anon

This Mother's Day I got to share the day with a special friend. What a way to celebrate the day. I love that we made room in our busy lives to enjoy the simple things that make life so truly wonderful - the late afternoon sun, laughing, a bit of photography, kids giggling on swings, a leisurely stroll with the sun on your face (complete with rip sticks, bikes and skateboards of course, because what else do you do at a park when your a kid!!)

(At first I was a little unsure about the picnic idea. This could mean more work!! ... on Mother's Day ... for me! We are not a big picnic family. Fish and chips on the beach - my kind of picnic - No preparing, packing or unloading when you get home).

But, today I would have more eager helping hands than usual, after all it was my day and

... to tell you the truth I just needed the time out. I needed the excuse to truly unwind ... the opportunity to forget deadlines, the profiles that needed sorting and reports that called for my attention. So glad we did. It was a gorgeous day, even if it was a little more chilly than our usual autumn afternoon!

What I loved most however, were the smiles on the kids faces ... there is something about watching pure delight beam from a child's face(No matter how old they are or how big we might feel!)

The simplest things really do bring the most pleasure. Forget t.v, technology and high tech games for entertainment! The wide open spaces bring a sense of freedom that is so very refreshing and there is something about kids swinging that much higher as their feet inch closer to the sun, hopeful of touching the clouds above or dipping the feet in the expanse of that wild blue yonder.

There is something special about that kind of longing, to reach out and touch the impossible and to believe that you can, to try and keep on trying!

This Mother's Day I am grateful for the reminder of this kind of longing and a hope beyond all earthly constraints. No matter what, keep on swinging and despite the ups and downs ... with a little uumphh we're going to get there in the end!
Linking up with Ann Voskamp and Jen Ferguson.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

I look over at my daughter completely immersed in her creation and watch her careful putting together of an Art assignment. This sculpture has taken over our weekend, it's due in just a few days. Time is of the essence!

Time pressured - with her it always is, yet some how she always pulls it off, always refining under pressure.

I watch her cut the wire and shape the nothingness into something.

She stretches the chicken wire - snips it here and there, stuffing it full with paper. A head, a body and a leg emerge and all the while I watch. I watch creativity in progress and observe frustration at wire unwilling to bend. I capture delight as it finally takes on shape.

A smile suddenly lights her face.

I pause in this girlish glee and soak up the laughter bubbling forth.

Enjoying the raw sound of success and its triumphant whoops.

I think about how she envisioned this creation long before she even started. I think about how she saw the potential in this wire and paper ... and despite a few setbacks she forged ahead anyway.

I think about how she put aside the doubts of her peers and their skeptical viewpoints and reached deep inside her imagination anyway.

And I think about how this is the way of faith - the seeing of something not yet formed. The knowing that the unseen and far off

can one day be tangible and present. This trusting and believing in something not yet seen ... and I realise that this is exactly

how motherhood is.

Motherhood and Faith, both beginning with a hope in the heart

and emerging as a vision of possibilities ... two peas in a pod,

two sides of a coin.

Motherhood and Faith ... a determined, resolute and courageous spirit that looks doubt, fear and uncertainty in the face and fiercely holds on.

This is the kind of faith I want, the kind of mother I want to be.

Quietly confident despite the odds - holding on fiercely and never letting go of the hope, the dream and the promise of tomorrow.